1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit package assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
Integrated circuits are typically housed within a package that is mounted to a printed circuit board. The integrated circuit (IC) package may have contacts that are soldered to the circuit board and electrically coupled to the integrated circuit by internal routing within the package.
It is sometimes desirable to upgrade a computer system by replacing the existing circuitry with a different chip. In some systems replacing the integrated circuit of a mounted IC package requires a solder reflow machine to remove the package. Most end users do not have access to a solder reflow machine. Consequently the entire printed circuit board assembly must be replaced to upgrade the system.
There have been developed integrated circuit packages which allow an end user to remove and plug in a new device. The packages typically have a socket that is soldered to the printed circuit board. The socket contains a plurality of individual sockets that receive the pins of an integrated circuit package. The socket electrically couples the integrated circuit package to the printed circuit board. The replaceable pin packages are commonly referred to as zero insertion force (ZIF) packages.
The integrated circuit package of a ZIF device is attached to a cover plate that is pivotally connected to the socket. The assembly has a cam lever that can be rotated by an end user to pull the pins of the package out of the socket. The end user can then remove the existing package and load a new integrated circuit package into the cover plate. The cover plate is rotated so that the pins of the new package are pressed into the socket to couple the integrated circuit to the printed circuit board.
Integrated circuit packages are typically mounted across the surface of a printed circuit board so that each package occupies a predetermined amount of board space. Adding another integrated circuit package requires additional space on the printed circuit board. It would be desirable to provide an integrated circuit package assembly that allows an additional package to be added to a printed circuit board without occupying additional space on the board.